A variety of situations and circumstances exist wherein it is useful to dispense solids and liquids at the same time. Gravel and water, asphalt and tar or oil, food and scent/chemicals are a few examples. For the purposes of illustration and by way of example only and not by limitation, deer hunters use feeders to lure deer. Applicant's Liquid and Solid Dispenser Apparatus and Method (U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,547), incorporated herein by reference, represents the state of the prior art with regard to devices that dispense solids and a liquid at the same time. While the patented invention is a quantum leap beyond the previous art, it has certain attributes that result in a less than perfect solution to the problems associated with dispensing solid and liquid materials from the same device.
One problem is that only a single liquid may be dispensed by the prior art devices. Many times it is useful to use multiple scents for different purposes. It would be useful, for example only, to dispense one liquid that attracts deer and one scent that masks the smell of a human. The prior art allows for only one scent to be dispersed at a time.
Another problem is that it is currently difficult to clean the liquid holder. A further problem is that the current liquid holders are an integrated part of the dispensing device and are subject to breaking due to exposure to the elements, such as when the liquid freezes. When the liquid holder of the prior art devices break, the entire device must be removed for repair.
Another problem is that the prior art liquid dispensers dispense liquid in a single attitude. The liquid either hits the solids or misses the solids but no correction or selection is enabled.
Wicks are known in the art and used in Applicant's prior patented device. A problem with the prior art wicks, however, is that they represent a continuous drain on the liquid when used.
Thus, there is a need in the art for providing a liquid and solids dispenser that dispenses more than one liquid, that is adjustable so that liquid may or may not be dispensed on the solids as desired, that is easy to use, fill and clean, that is resistant to breakage and that includes a wick that is not a continuous drain on the liquids.